BIB packages are well known for containing and dispensing liquids such as syrup for post-mix soft drink dispensers. Such known packages include an outer protective and supporting box and an inner collapsible bag containing the syrup. The box is generally made of corrugated cardboard and the bag is generally made of a flexible plastic. The plastic bag has a spout for feeding the syrup to the post-mix beverage dispenser via a hose and a pump. A plastic dip strip or dip tube is often included within the bag to assist in withdrawing the syrup. The dip strip prevents the bag from collapsing upon itself while the syrup is being withdrawn and provides a fluid passageway to the spout from the far reaches of the bag.
An example of a bag-in-box bag with a ribbed dip strip therein is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,749,493 to Boone, et al., owned by The Coca-Cola Company, the assignee of the present invention. This reference describes, among other things, a ribbed dip strip sealed between the upper and lower bag walls at the top and bottom ends. The ribbed dip strip largely prevents the bag from collapsing upon itself and also provides the fluid passageway to the spout. The positioning of the dip strip apart from the spout also permits high speed filling. U.S. Pat. No. 5,749,493 is incorporated herein by reference. Similarly, the pending applications referenced above also describe, among other things, various types of bags for bag-in-box type packages using a ribbed dip strip and various methods for their use and manufacture.
In addition to the use of a dip strip to provide a fluid passageway to the spout, other known references use a raised spout to ensure access to and through the spout. For example, commonly-owned U.S. Pat. No. 4,998,990 to Richter, et al., shows a spout with a series of fins or vertical ribs positioned within the aperture that are used with one or more open channels to provide a fluid passageway. These fins or ribs are used to provide a certain amount of clearance between the spout and either the dip strip or the lower bag wall. This clearance allows the bag to be evacuated even as the upper and lower bag walls are collapsing upon themselves as the bag is being emptied. The raised spout design, however, adds extra bulk and materials to the bag as a whole. U.S. Pat. No. 4,998,990 is incorporated herein by reference.
What is needed, therefore, is a spout design that provides an adequate fluid passageway without the use of the extra material and the extra height associated with the raised spout or similar designs. The passageway should be operable while the bag is collapsing and otherwise and should communicate with the dip strip. Further, there is a need for a spout design that provides a plurality of fluid passageways to the aperture of the spout regardless of the orientation or position of the bag. Such a spout must provide the plurality of fluid passageways with a minimum of material and cost.